dhsavage

When I am accelerating in deep sand my entire truck (2002 Tacoma Double Cab) bucks violently from the rear. If I floor it (making the wheels spin) obviously it goes away)...also when I reach speed and am just maintaining speed there is no bucking. The bucking is so violent it sounds like my exhaust is about to snap in two! It's the exact feeling as if driving on washboards.

I am very new to this truck and driving trucks in general. At first I thought that the sand had some sort of wash-board type thing under it, but walking over my path the sand is completely soft.

Is my differential bad? What's going on? Help a newbie!

cabbage

Hello!
Thats what we call axle warp. Did you air down your tires? How much did you go down to?

Tanto

It sounds like it's because your rear suspension cannot keep up with the terrain so it's "hopping" when the tire grabs and pushes the suspension up.

The cheap fix is to put some heavy objects (like spare tires in your bed) near the tailgate (no need to move your existing spare)

The expensive fix is 62" Deavers sprung under the axle with Double bypass shocks

cabbage

On my work truck the axle warp usually goes away when I air down to my normal sand pressure, usually happens if the rear springs are too soft...

Tanto

My post was meant to add to yours, Cabbage

Isn't the movement of the springs largely attributed to the shock though?

dhsavage

My tires weren't aired down at all....what pressure do you suggest?
Sorry...I am new to owning a truck!!! But so far it was a smart move.

Tanto

If you're running the stock tires, 15 psi should be good. Basically until you see the tire starting to bulge at the bottom. I tend to like 20 psi up front and 15psi in the rear so my turning is crisper but the back can get a little more footprint.

Don't worry. No need to worry about getting flamed here. We all had to learn somewhere.

dhsavage

If I get stiffer rear springs will it also solve this problem?

Tanto

Only if you put 500lbs of gravel in your bed, no.

Better leafs like Deaver or Alcan are what you need because of the better design that allows the leafs to move much smoother and you'll have more leafs. Shocks are one thing not to overlook because they will really help keep your tires on the sand.

You just need a combo of weight, suspension, and tire pressure to keep your drive wheels planted. Think about it: your front tires aren't hopping because they have the weight of the engine to keep it down.